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4 2 • r e s t a u r a n t d e v e l o p m e n t + d e s i g n • M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7
says Sellers. "The first thing customers
see when they walk in the door are all
these tap handles. That creates the visual
statement that we are all about beer."
"There are bars popping up that
specialize in a single spirit — whiskey,
gin and mezcal — all bragging about
the number of bottles they have on their
backbars," notes Dan Beres, beverage
director for StandEatDrink Hospital-
ity Group in Milwaukee. Beres helped
design the bar in the company's recently
opened Hotel Madrid. With an extensive
list of vermouth and fortified aperitifs,
Vermutería 600 takes a page from
Hemingway-era Spain with faux trophy
heads on the walls and bull-head tap
handles on the bar that dispense draft
sangria or gin and tonic.
GrizForm has had several projects
where the beverage is the star, such as the
Federal Tap House with 100-plus taps of
craft beer and a "crowler" station that cans
draft beer for take-home. Craft cocktail bar
2 Birds 1 Stone displays a collection of
200 bottles of bourbon, and each cocktail
is served in its own unique glassware.
"Layering in all those bottles and 30 dif-
ferent glasses at the bar was a challenge,"
Dwight says.
Social Components
"Bars are inherently social — places
to meet up with friends, family and
strangers. So bars have to have a social
flow," says Dwight. "When setting up
the space, you have to think through
different scenarios that might occur."
Designers must consider where parties
of various sizes can gather, set aside
deuces for dates and create areas where
guests can easily meet up.
"Bar operators aim to create social
gathering places," says Miller. That's one
reason for the popularity of beer halls with
communal tables. In the late 1990s, there
was a movement toward lounges with sofas
and low coffee tables, he notes, but that
trend has faded because the seating was
not conducive to conversation. The ten-
dency now is toward narrower, bar-height
tables, the purpose of which is to bring
people together.
The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog
The five-star Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland, received a wealth of accolades when Jack
McGarry and his business partner, Sean Muldoon, worked there. The pair landed in New York City
in 2010 with nothing but their suitcases, McGarry recalls. But soon, they established The Dead
Rabbit, a bar divided into three distinct floors — each with its own bar. The first floor is an Irish
workingman's pub, the second is a classic cocktail bar and the third is a private event space. It is
one of the most-awarded drinking establishments, including World's Best Bar in 2015 and 2016.
What was the inspiration behind The Dead Rabbit?
JM: We feel Irish pubs have been damaged by poor operators, and we're seeking to re-
engage our consumers and reframe their misconceptions by giving that Irish hospitality with
world-class product and overall experience.
We remembered the craft cocktail bar at the Merchant Hotel where we had worked and
the workingman's Irish pub, The Duke of York, that we drank in as soon as we finished work.
We thought, "Why not bring those two things together in the same place?"
But we knew to do it right, it had to be believable — in other words, there had to be
something linking the cocktail bar to the pub. We knew that Jerry Thomas published the first
cocktail book in New York in 1862 and also knew that the Great Potato Famine occurred in
Ireland from 1845-1851 and that a million Irish immigrants landed at the Port of New York
during that time. So there was a bit of a connection in that.
The Dead Rabbits were an Irish New York gang featured in the film "Gangs of New York." The
more we read about it, the more fascinated about the gang and the era we became. So we decided
to call the bar after the gang, but the whole reason for doing so was because we wanted to create a
workingman's pub and a high-end cocktail lounge in the same place and for it all to make sense.
What notable finishes and fixtures were used in construction and decor?
JM: The woodwork really sings at The Dead Rabbit; it's all black American walnut, and all
of the three bars have varying elements of it. Another significant piece in the Taproom is the
mural we commissioned of Louis Lang's 1862 painting "Return of the 69th (Irish) Regiment,"
depicting Thomas Meagher's arrival at Bowling Green after a tour of duty.
In the Taproom, we've also got Henry's Corner, dedicated to our departed friend Henry
Besant, who greatly shaped our vision for what The Dead Rabbit should be. He died four weeks
before we opened and didn't get the chance to experience it, so we decided to honor him with
his own space. It means a lot to myself and Sean.
Another piece I'd highlight would be the ceremonial battle cross from "Gangs of New
York" that actor Liam Neeson donated to the bar. It hangs on the stairs going from our Parlor to
the Occasional. The walls of Dead Rabbit are rich with stories.
For much more with Jack McGarry, see rddmag.com/may2017
NICHE: COCKTAIL BAR
BEVERAGE BONANZA:
BAR DESIGN IN THE GILDED AGE
Photo by Andrew Kist